Theory

Deflection is displacement of a beam caused by the force subjected to beam. The

load applied is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the beam. To design a beam,
it is necessary to find the stiffness or the elastic modulus, E of the beam which is
defined as the beam ability to resist deflection. In this experiment, the specimens
used are assumed made of homogenous materials which are having symmetrical
cross sectional area. For this experiment, few assumptions have been made;
1. Length of longitudinal axis of the beam remains unchanged.
2. Plane section remains plane which is in detail all the cross section of the
beam remains plane and remains perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
3. In plane distortion of section is negligible.
4. By using the beam sign convention, a positive internal moment tends to bend
the beam concave upward as being observed in this experiment

R-Y

Figure 1: Positive internal moment diagram

To find R, radius of curvature, we formulated formula from Figure 1.

L
2

R=(RY )2 +
Where :
R = Radius of curvature
Y =maximum beam deflection
L=bending length

Therefore,

R=

Since, it is assumed the value of

R=

y
2

L
2

2
Y 2 +

is too small, so it is ignored. Therefore:

L
8y

Since the materials are assumed to be homogenous and behaves in linear-elastic

manner, we then applies the Hookes Law,
Then, flexure formula,

=My /I

= / E .

is also applied. To form another formula to find

the elastic modulus, E, combine both formulas which then formed:

E M
=
R I

Where:
R= radius of curvature
M= the internal moment in the beam at the point where R is to be
determined
E= modulus of elasticity of the materials
I= moment of inertia of the beam.
From this equation, it can be expressed further by substituting M= wx and

R=

L
8y

W =

8 EI
y
L x

To find the stiffness of the beam from the slope of graph W(Weight) versus
maximum deflection (Y), this equation is used. Then, the result can be further
compared with theoretical values.

slope=

8 EI
L x

y
Figure 2: Weight (W) versus maximum beam deflection (y)